by Kealohilani
“Thank you so much, Uncle Jaresh,” she responded sincerely— still feeling overwhelmed by the compliment but trying to just accept it rather than self-deprecate.
“You could come with us,” Jaresh offered. “As I said, I am returning to the castle. You would see Prince Jharate and your friends again soon. Kendra would most likely want to travel with you as well— so you would still have someone from home to keep you company. Perhaps a brief absence might make Prince Jharate realize what he is giving up, no?”
“That’s actually really tempting,” Lani answered with a smile.
She looked from one group to the other. Torn was the best word to describe her feelings. The thought of a break from Jharate felt liberating. It would be nice to not have to see him reject her every day. And maybe it could jog his memory a little.
In her opinion, Kendra wasn’t likely to want to come with her because of Laern. And Lani thought it would be unfair to even ask. Same went for Justin and Tierza. Raoul would probably come with her. But even so, the idea of splitting up the group felt wrong.
Besides, the only three people who knew who she really was were Arante, Tierza, and Kendra— and Drakne, apparently. Actually, Drakne knew more… It felt good that the girls knew about her origins— and she didn’t really want to tell anyone else yet.
And then there was the fact that she knew she was a Half-Heart. So was Jharate. Being close to him was probably better than splitting up… at least she thought so. She wasn’t really sure if proximity was something that would help or hurt when it came to Jharate— but it was such a miracle that they had ever found each other at all that it felt like staying close was smarter.
And since Drakne also knew she was a Half-Heart, it was possible that danger would follow her— despite the fact they were in Destavnia. She was probably less of a danger to those who were protected inside of a castle than for those who were traveling out in the open.
“I can’t,” replied Lani, at long last.
“I know. I simply wanted you to know that you have a choice.”
“Thank you.”
“Spirit to spirit— until we meet again, my darling niece.”
“Spirit to spirit— until we meet again, my dear uncle.”
As they parted from the traditional embrace of the farewell ritual, Jaresh gave Lani a warm hug and the two separated— continuing the fond farewells with everyone else.
This continued for a little while longer— and more promises were made that this would not be the last meeting— as they warmly wished each other good luck. Tears flowed freely as both groups finally parted ways.
The thirteen who had fought with them for so long left, as the ten who were going on toward the castle waved goodbye.
Once they could no longer see their friends, the ten turned away and eleven people started making their way through the forest to the cave.
Drakne had found them.
A Deadly Word
Lani’s heart leapt as they eventually came upon the large cerulean pool in the woods that they had been looking for. A majestic thirty-foot waterfall cascaded into it. The water from the pool spilled over a large embankment of rocks on the opposite side into the river below, creating a secondary waterfall.
The continuous sound was both soothing and revitalizing. The constant flow of water kept it crystal clear and inviting. Lani wanted so dearly to jump into the natural pool for a refreshing swim— but there was not enough daylight left to dry off sufficiently, and she didn’t want to be cold. Besides, they were going to be here for five days. That left plenty of time to enjoy this watery paradise.
She loved the way that the leaves of the tall swaying trees— which lined the pool— fluttered in the gentle wind and glinted like emeralds as they nearly covered the amber trunks. Once again Destavnia had outdone itself. Lani turned to look at Tierza as she heard her voice narrating like a tour guide.
“This is Cascade Pool. The water is delicious! Behind that waterfall is the Cave of Witsan. I would suggest you fill your canteens here before we enter the cave.”
The group did as Tierza suggested but Arante seemed to be annoyed with Tierza for doing her job and shot her a cross look behind her back.
Once everyone’s canteens were filled, Jharate led them around the pool— to the left, through some trees— and onto a natural stone pathway that led to the cave behind the waterfall, which would become their resting point for the next five nights.
As they clambered inside, Lani caught sight of her one true love and once again felt great longing in her heart. Jharate looked away mechanically and began to set up camp.
Lani sighed. Her forced detachment from Jharate never lasted for long. But at least she was getting more used to the situation. She too started to set up camp without further reaction to Jharate’s coldness.
Arante observed this, and gently smacked her palm over one of her eyes. She could not believe how cold he was still being to Lani. She became increasingly chagrined that he was her cousin— to the point of questioning if there had been a mistake in their genealogy.
She brought her hand down and glared at Jharate. With a singularly-authoritarian tone, Arante swiftly commanded all those around her.
“Raoul! Erik! Bring your weapons and come with me. We need to find food for the night.
“Kendra and Justin you two go together and find wood for a fire quickly. We don’t have much light left and it’s getting cold.
“Tierza, Laern and Rezarahn, I don’t care what you do, just go find something productive to accomplish and try to bring something useful back.
“Lani and Jharate, you two continue to set up camp and prepare the beds, as well as gather stones to line the fire pit.”
Jharate continued to work perfunctorily as if he had heard nothing, but his jaw tensed. He started slightly as Arante touched his shoulder and spoke to him in a hushed but demanding tone.
“Don’t be so stubborn or you will miss what is right in front of you. Don’t let your pride win this battle. You don’t realize how devoted to you she is. I promise you, you’ll never find that kind of love again— even if you search both worlds in their entirety.”
Jharate returned to his work without uttering a word. Arante glowered at him in disbelief and made some frustrated threatening motions behind his back, before sighing and turning out of the cave to go hunting for their dinner.
She muttered to herself and everyone scrambled to get out and tend to their assignments, lest they cross her path. Raoul picked up his crossbow, and Erik his sword, as they walked out behind Arante.
Justin and Kendra headed uphill to a dryer part of the woods and Tierza led the two, who had just been assigned to her, with quiet indignation. Arante should not have talked to her like that! She ruled an entire kingdom whilst Arante was nothing but a deposed heir’s second. She pursed her lips tightly to remain silent until Arante was out of sight.
She thought for a moment of what would be the best way to retaliate and decided to collect fruits and vegetables. She and Laern could use their super speed to gather a veritable feast that would put whatever Arante could find to shame.
Tierza wasn’t sure how Rezarahn could be useful— until it was time to make the fire. But she smiled at the thought of the look on Arante’s face when dinnertime arrived— as she would finally realize that she had been outdone.
Back in the cave, Jharate found a shovel and began to dig a pit in the cave floor for the fire— acting as if he was the only one there. His muscles tensed as he worked and his jaw remained clenched.
There were plenty of stones left over from what must have been many people who had made a fire here before them. It only took Lani a few minutes to gather enough to line the pit once Jharate had finished digging it.
Trying to keep herself busy, she proceeded to roll out the sleeping materials for the ten of them. Suddenly she threw down the bedroll she was in the process of unrolling and stood up to face Jharate, even though he kept his back to her.
“Jharate. We belong together. I know it. And you know it too, somewhere deep inside of—”
“You are wrong.”
Jharate’s tone was so cold and sure that it made her jump. Once again the words hurt more in the hearing than she had expected them to. But she remained where she was.
She wasn’t leaving— and she wasn’t backing down. Not this time! She loved him too much to lose him to his pride and a stupid spell. She stood squarely in front of him as she planned her rebuttal. There had to be a way to snap him out of this— there just had to be!
Drakne entered the cave, still completely invisible to both of them. He was glad that Jharate’s anger and Lani’s broken heart prevented either of them from sensing his presence. Drakne grinned at the scene. Perfect!
He crossed over to Jharate and whispered an enchanted whisper into his ear. Jharate could not hear him with his ears— but instead heard him in his mind as if Drakne’s spoken words were Jharate’s own thoughts. Drakne’s smile widened as he spoke.
“She is the one to blame, not you. She broke your heart and wants the chance to do it again. You cannot trust her! She left you! You do not love her! It was a mistake. You do not repeat mistakes.”
Lani was still trying to recover from the words Jharate had spoken— but she gathered all of her courage and her love for Jharate, and tried again.
“I don’t know why you can’t see that you still love me every bit as much as I love you. Everyone can see you are not yourself. And everyone knows we were practically made for each other. We were meant to be together, Jharate. You and I both lost sight of it at different times— but if you just remember…”
Jharate stopped hearing her as Drakne hissed more words into his ear.
“She doesn’t love you! She needs to move on. And you don’t love her. Tell her!”
Jharate turned suddenly, towering over Lani, and looked directly into her eyes. He saw her standing firm where she was— refusing to budge an inch. He said nothing as he kept his stony eyes locked on hers.
He could feel the thoughts in his mind pressing him to say that he did not love her. However… a small feeling in his heart told him that they were untrue. He kept very still and refused to say the words that were flooding his brain.
Drakne frowned. Jharate had not shown any signs of this much strength prior to this moment. Drakne would not accept this. He knew the power of words— and he was determined that Jharate would be the one to use them against Lani. Drakne began to speak increasingly louder in Jharate’s ear.
“Tell her you don’t love her. Say it! Say those words. Say them now. Say ‘I don’t love you anymore!’ ”
Lani broke off her speech and listened. It was as if she had heard something— but not with her ears. It echoed in her mind. A voice that was chillingly familiar. She froze with terror and her eyes flew open wide as she realized to whom the voice belonged.
“Jharate! He’s here! Drakne’s here!”
Drakne’s lip curled into an annoyed smile. He was impressed that Lani could sense him, even in such turmoil. Her love must be very strong to counter that much angst.
As Drakne leaned even closer to Jharate’s ear, his sinister voice resonated in Jharate’s mind. He spoke even more insistently in a quiet voice to keep Lani from sensing him again.
“She’s lying. You would sense it if Drakne were here. You both would— not just her. She’s trying to win you back by pretending to be in danger. Say the words! Tell her you don’t love her. Say ‘I don’t love you anymore.’ Sssaaaayyyy it.”
Jharate remained still and silent. Drakne took a step back and threw his hands up in the air. He couldn’t believe that Jharate had not succumbed yet.
Confound that boy, he thought as he threw a new purple energy ball into Jharate’s heart. Jharate’s chest flinched as it disappeared within him. His eyes grew colder and he stared at Lani as he began to speak.
“You are being ridiculous, Lani. If Drakne were here I would sense it. We are both possessed of that gift, remember?”
“Didn’t you just see that?! A purple energy ball just flew out of nowhere and went inside your heart! He’s here!”
“I saw nothing of the kind.”
“How do I get through to you?! You can’t sense him because you are holding onto your anger— anger so strong you can’t even see a spell ball. Forgive me and give us another chance and you will realize I am telling the truth. Please, Jharate!”
“No. You are lying to me. It will not happen. I will not let it happen again!”
“I love you, Jharate. I love you more than life itself.”
Drakne sighed in irritation. Jharate was still resisting saying the correct words even after taking two direct hits to his heart from the spell balls. This had never happened before.
Jharate was being cruel, but he wasn’t saying the words that would really hurt her. Why?
Drakne might have been impressed had he not been so focused on executing his plan. He threw the largest purple energy ball yet directly into Jharate’s heart. Jharate’s chest recoiled and his eyes glazed over into an icy glare.
“Well, I don’t love you anymore.”
Jharate uttered the sentence with unsettling calmness— not even raising his voice— yet the words penetrated Lani’s heart. Surprised, Lani moaned quietly as if she had just been stabbed with a knife.
The power of his words made her stagger backwards against the cave wall. She clutched her heart and grimaced as she slid down the smooth rock surface, beginning to breathe hard and nearly gasping for air.
“Finally!” Drakne exclaimed to himself.
Drakne smiled. It was working. The power of words— combined with the fact that Jharate was a Half-Heart who had her love and who had special powers— was so strong that it was literally starting to kill Lani.
The physical effect of Jharate’s words shocked Lani to her core. She had known that words had power in Alamea— but until now she hadn’t thought that they could be a simple phrase.
A sharp twinge of fear made her already throbbing heart sizzle with pain as she realized, too late, what Drakne’s plan must have been all along. She cried out from the pain before pleading breathlessly with Jharate.
“Please! Don’t say that… Can’t you see? He’s trying to kill me. He knows you are the only one close enough to my heart to break it. Don’t let him use you to destroy me. Save me, Jharate. Remember, I love you. Remember. Oh please remember.”
Drakne infused more energy into his spell. It now flowed in a constant purple stream from his hand into Jharate’s heart. He continued to whisper in Jharate’s ear and now Jharate said the words in eerie unison with Drakne as he spoke them.
“He’s not here. You’re just being melodramatic and manipulating me. You want to force me to reconcile and come back to you. It’s not going to happen. It’s over. Accept it and move on.”
Tears rolled down Lani’s cheeks as she saw the stream of purple energy flowing seemingly from nowhere and into Jharate’s heart. She knew what it meant. Her life was about to end if she couldn’t break Jharate out of this horrid spell— and now its strength was increasing by the second.
She couldn’t hear Drakne speaking but she knew the words that Jharate spoke were coming directly from Drakne. He was carefully leading Jharate where he wanted him to go. It had been nearly impossible for her to get out of her spell— and Drakne had not hit her in the heart. Still, she had to try something.
“Look down, Jharate. Just look down! You’ll see the purple energy rushing into your heart. This isn’t you! Why won’t you just look down? I love you. Remember. Please… It is Drakne… You don’t even sound like yourself.”
“Stop it. I don’t love you anymore.”
Lani cried out and writhed in physical pain as she collapsed to the ground— clutching over her heart with her hands. Despite the agony, she struggled to rise up again— barely able to lift her upper body with her arms. She slipped several times as she attempted to brace herself, each time groanin
g at the pain.
“Jharate… you’re… killing me… Please… stop… talking…”
“I’m not killing you. I just don’t love you anymore! Accept it!” the two men said together.
With those words she collapsed completely onto her back and a breathy moan escaped her lips. She couldn’t even lift her hand to her heart to clutch it any longer. She could barely speak at all.
“Remember…” Lani whispered in agony.
“Stop it! I don’t want you. I don’t love you anymore!” both Drakne and Jharate insisted.
Her body finally went limp and her eyes fluttered closed. She lay completely motionless on the cold cave floor. Her heart stopped and her lungs failed.
Lani was dead.
Jharate looked at her with a blank expression.
Drakne snapped his fingers and lifted the enchantments, which had concealed him.
He simultaneously removed all spells of indifference so that Jharate could see with perfect clarity and feel with excruciating sensitivity the full force of what he had just done.
Jharate’s eyes flew open in horror. His emotional pain was far greater than any physical pain could have ever been. He ran to Lani and dropped to his knees beside her.
He frantically pulled her lifeless body up into his arms. Cradling her head with his hand and holding her closely to him, he screamed in powerful anguish. He felt as if his own spirit were trying to rip itself from his body to get away from him.
“What have I done?” he lamented. “What have I done?!”
Jharate looked at her face and stroked her hair as he held her limp form in his arms— shaking his head— tears forming in his eyes. He caressed her arm and held her hand up to his lips and kissed it fervently.
“Do not leave me here, my love! I am so sorry! I am so very sorry… I did not mean it! I have always loved you! I loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you… I love you with all my heart and soul! I promise you will always be safe with me… I will never break your heart again. Stay with me, Lani! We will be together forever… Please stay, my love. Oh, please!”